Oxygen separation from air using ceramic-based membrane technology for sustainable fuel production and power generation

There has been tremendous progress in membrane technology for gas separation, in particular oxygen separation from air in the last 20 years providing an alternative route to the existing conventional separation processes such as cryogenic distillation and pressure swing adsorption. This paper covers the review of membrane separation process and recent developments of ceramic membranes for oxygen separation from air. This membrane based oxygen supply from air offers significant advantages for integration in power generation cycles with carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, coal gasification systems and gas-to-liquid (GTL) plants. The critical issues in the implementation of membrane technology for power generation and fuel production are also presented and discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.